The present invention relates to systems using balls for cleaning the inside of liquid-conducting tubing in condensers and other forms of heat exchangers in general and in particular to recirculation apparatus incorporated within such systems. The present invention also relates to apparatus for injecting a volume of liquid into a liquid conducting system in general, and in particular to apparatus for injecting a volume of liquid including a compressor.
Systems using balls for cleaning the inside of liquid-conducting tubing for preventing the build-up of coatings or any other fouling inside the tubing are known in the art. Such systems include ball recirculation apparatus for recirculating the balls through the tubing having an inlet at the downstream side of the tubing and an outlet at the upstream side of the tubing. Separation apparatus deployed between the downstream side of the tubing and the inlet to the ball recirculation apparatus separates the balls after each pass through the tubing for delivery to the ball recirculation apparatus.
It is well known that considerable volumes of liquid are discharged as waste during the delivery of the balls to ball recirculation apparatus. Rather than wasting quantities of water on each cycle of the balls passing through the system, there is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have a low cost, simple and efficient liquid recirculation apparatus for recirculating the liquid entraining the balls to the ball recirculation apparatus to the main system.
Typically, pumps are employed for injecting a volume of liquid into a liquid conducting system. Selection of the appropriate pump is typically based on evaluating a number of factors including the head of the system, the volume of liquid to be recycled, etc. However, regardless of the actual pump implemented, it is well known that pumps are costly in terms of their initial outlay, their operating costs, maintenance costs, etc.
Therefore, there is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have a low cost, simple and efficient apparatus for injecting a volume of liquid into a liquid conducting system.